Almond Tuiles

Hi

These little cookies have been in my To-Do list for a long time and I have finally tried making this!  It’s pretty simple and fun making it.  I’m just wondering why I hadn’t tried making it sooner.  Haha!

Tuiles, traditionally are thin, crisp almond cookies that are gently drape over a rolling pin to form an arched while they are still warm.  But I skipped as I don’t have a round stencil to spread the batter evenly and I think it’s a great challenge to make the cookie into an arched too.

I am happy with the outcome of these Tuiles though I didn’t shape it in the traditional signature shape.  They are not so thin but yet very crisp.

HAPPY BAKING!

INGREDIENTS

(A)

125g          Icing Sugar

25g            Cake Flour

15g            Bread Flour

(B)

110g          Egg whites

(C )

75g            Butter

200g         Almond flakes

INSTRUCTION

Combine cake flour and bread flour of ingredients A, and sift

together.  Cut butter into dices and double-boil till melted.

Line a baking tray with non-stick baking mat.  Place portioning frame on top [this is the stencil which has 12 circles]. Preheat oven to required temperature.

Place Ingredients A into mixing bowl.  Add all Ingredients B all at once.  Using a whisk, beat the mixture till well-combined.

Stir the batter constantly while adding in melted butter. 

Add in almond flakes and lightly stir well with spatula.

Cover the bowl with cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Remove the batter from the refrigerator.  Spoon a tablespoon of batter into portioning frame.  Using a scrapper spread batter into a very thin layer.  Remove the frame.  [I skipped.  I’m using my finger to evenly spread the batter into round shape.]

Bake in oven at 150°C fan for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven. 

Drape the cookie over a rolling pin to create a curved shape.  [I skipped].  Set aside to cool.

Baking Tips

*Lightly stir till almond flakes are well-coated with batter will do.

*Use 2 forks to separate the almond flakes from one another.  This will ensure even colouring and crispiness throughout baking.

I’m submitting this to Cookbook Countdown, an event organised by Joyce from Kitchen Flavours and Emily from Emily’s Cooking (Makan2) Foray, to help cookbook collectors take some of their cookbooks down from their shelves, dust them off and start cooking from them.

This month I choose The Secret of Cookies.  It was a gift from my 2 boys.  It has 200 recipes.  I don’t think I will make them all.  I will make as much as I can in June for my 2 boys.

Chicken Bulgogi

Hi

I’m not really a fan of Korean dish.  But my hubby and children love Charcoal Korean BBQ and we’ll have Korean BBQ at home quite frequent. 

I got this idea from Diana, The Domestic Goddess Wannabe.  It’s so easy to make as long as you have all the Korean sauce ready.  This is a dish that I will cook if I’m running out of idea what to cook. 

 I haven’t been to Korea.  But I’m so blessed to have friends who will not forget to bring stuff for me whenever they go Korea.   This Korean Hot Pepper Powder and Sesame Seeds are from Serene.  My best friend whom I know since we were 14 years old.  Serene is homemaker and she cooks well.  Whenever she has something interesting or new, she will always share it with me. 

 

Good friends share good times and also good stuff.

HAPPY COOKING!

INGREDIENTS

300g         Chicken breast, skin removed, and sliced

2 tbsp       Spicy bulgogi marinade [I skipped]

2 tbsp       Korean BBQ sauce

2 tbsp       Korean chilli paste

1 tbsp        Korean red pepper powder

1 small      Onion, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp      Korean sesame oil

1 tsp          Korean sesame seeds

INSTRUCTIONS

(1)Marinate chicken with spicy bulgogi sauce, Korean BBQ sauce, chilli paste and red chilli powder. Set aside in the fridge for 2 hours.

(2)Saute onions in olive oil until soft, about 2-3 minutes. Add chicken and stir occasionally to "grill" the chicken.

(3)When chicken is cooked through, add sesame oil and sesame seeds.

(4)Serve immediately, garnished with more sesame seeds, if desired.

The Killer Toast [just one proofing]

Hi

Look! Look! Look at this super soft bread.  The texture is so so irresistible.  Amazingly spongy and pillowy soft.

 The last time, I made it plain.  It is so good that I made it again but this time I sprinkle cheddar cheese on the top of the dough and it transformed into a savoury bread that delivered a bounty of cheddar cheese.

INGREDIENTS

[Recipe by Victoria Bakes]

260g                  Bread flour

3g                       Instant dry yeast

160g-180g        Egg + Full cream milk

30g                    Sugar (10g if making a salty toast)

2g                       Salt (6g for salty toast)

30g                    Butter

METHODS

(1)Mix all ingredients (except butter) together and knead till you get a silky and elastic dough

(2)Incorporate butter and knead till window pane stage (crucial)

(3)Divide dough into 3 or 6 portions, then roll out flat, swiss roll, and place into greased loaf pan

 (4)Rise till dough reaches double the size.

(4)Egg wash the dough and sprinkle cheddar cheese.

(5)Bake in preheated oven of 170°C at the second lowest rack for 45-50 mins, tenting bread with foil if it browns too quickly.

HAPPY BAKING!

Walnut & Cheese Brownie

Hi

June is the month that all will be celebrating Father’s Day.   

I made Brownie for my hubby to thank him for making a huge 

difference in our 2 boys’ lives….  now, and every day of their future.

"Any man can be a father but it takes someone special to be a Dad." -- Anne Geddes 

Happy Father’s Day, Hubby!

INGREDIENTS

A

200g         Bittersweet chocolate

200g         Unsalted butter

B

80g           Caster sugar

2g              Salt

150g          Beaten egg

C

80g           Cake flour

100g         Chopped walnuts

100g         Cream Cheese [diced] - optional

METHOD

Cut softened butter into dices.  Bake walnuts at 150°C for 15 minutes.

Line a baking tine with baking paper.  Preheat oven to 170°C.

Cut bittersweet chocolate into small pieces and place into mixing bowl.  Set the bowl into double-boiler and heat till the chocolate is melted.  Add in butter and stir well with wooden spatula.

Mix ingredients B until well-combined.  Pour it butter chocolate mixture and mix them until the mixture is thickened.

Sift in Ingredient C and mix well.  Gradually fold in ¾ portion of walnuts and cheese dice and stir well.

Pour the batter into lined baking tray and level the surface.  Sprinkle the top with the balance ¼ portion of walnuts.

Bake in oven for 25 minutes.  Remove from the oven and cut into square after it is cooled.

HAPPY BAKING!

Cookbook Countdown is cooking event organised by Joyce from Kitchen Flavours and Emily from Emily’s Cooking (Makan2) Foray, to help cookbook collectors take some of their cookbooks down from their shelves, dust them off and start cooking from them.

Thanks Joyce and Emily for organising this meaningful event.  I don’t have many cookbooks and most of it were gift from friends and colleagues.   It’s time for me to take out those few collections of mine and start using them. 

 This month I choose The Secret of Cookies.  It was a gift from my 2 boys.  It has 200 recipes.  I don’t think I will make them all.  I will make as much as I can in June as my 2 boys love cookies.

Wanton Soup Noodles

Hi

For me, an ideal wanton noodle soup should include fragrant homemade broth and springy Hong Kong noodle.

I had a great time making these wantons with my mum.  While we were wrapping the wantons, she told me that wanton soup was a dish that she often made when I was young.  She would make a lot each time.  Boiled and freeze them.   I was so touch by her sharing and felt so fortunate that I grew up with home cooked food. 

This is famous Hong Kong style dried noodle which was given to me by my colleague, Yiren who just came back from Hong Kong.  This noodle is often used to make wanton soup noodle.  It’s thin and springy.  You can eat it plain too, by cooking it al dente, drizzle with sesame oil and simple seasoning.  You can top up with Korean roasted white sesame seaweed too.

Here are the ingredients used to make wantons.  My mum did the marinades.  So there’s no exact measurement.  It’s all estimation based on her experience. 

 HAPPY COOKING!

INGREDIENTS

Fillings

Ground Pork

Prawns

Yellow wanton wrapper [which is also called skin]

Chye Sim vegetables

Marinades

Salt

Soy Sauce

Sesame oil

Cornflour

Chinese Rice Wine [must use Shaoxing brand]

White pepper

Soup

I used homemade broth.  You can find the recipe here.

Chicken broth

2 pcs of ginger [about 2cm long]

Salt to taste

Garnish with chopped spring onion

Noodle

Hong Kong Style Dried Noodle

(1)Shelled the prawns and deveined.  Cut them into small pieces. 

(2)In a large bowl, mix the ground pork and prawns thoroughly.  Add the marinades and continue to mix.  The mixture will become sticky and slightly wet.

(3)Scope about 1 tsp of fillings and place it in the center of the skin.  Wrap it to your desire shape.  For me, I wrapped it like an ingot.  Brush water on the edges of the skin, fold them in triangle shape, press it to secure edges, encasing the fillings.  Place them on the dry plate and cover with clean damp towel.  This is to prevent the wrapped wantons turning dry.

(4)Cook the noodle until al dente. Drain and rinse the noodle with cold water.  Add a little oil and loosen the noodle.  Divide the noodles into the bowls. 

(5)Bring the broth to boil.  Add the ginger and season it with salt.  Add chye sim vegetables.

(6)In another pot of water, boil over high heat.  Carefully put the wantons into it.  Stir the water with chopsticks in order to avoid the wantons stick to the bottom.  When the dumplings float to the water surface, immediately transfer them into individual noodle bowl.  Divide them equally among the bowls. 

(7)Scope the boiling broth into the noodle bowl with wantons.  Sprinkle with spring onion and serve immediately.